ionR: Kindle Unlimited
This ionR concerns a new service provided by Amazon called “Kindle Unlimited”. This is not an advertisement for said product, we’re simply wondering what the opinions are about paid services like these.
There are a few different membership ‘clubs’ around, but KU offers something a little different – access to seamless transitions between the ebook and the audiobook, so you can switch between reading and listening on-the-fly. Of course, they’re also starting off with a free 30-Day trial, and a free 3-Month Audible membership completely separate from the audiobooks you’d get with your KU membership.
Now here’s the downside. As of this posting, there are some major publishers (the top five in fact) that have declined to participate. That means that while KU offers 600,000 titles, the chances are high that they won’t have a lot of the titles the consumer wants.
I’m saving discussions about other types of book lending services for another time, but do you have opinions about Kindle Unlimited?
Personally, I think the modifier ‘Unlimited’ is a bit of a misnomer at this point, but maybe you have another take on it.
Let us know in the comments!
erika
Since I read a lot of indie titles this service is awesome for me. All the money I save on not purchasing books I’m likely to only read once leaves extra money in my book budget for more expensive Big 5 published books in moderation
KarenL (@Aleveria)
That’s a pretty good way to look at it. For the indie titles, on your side, it’s a good thing.
belindaegreen
While this all seems great, I’m not sure how I feel about not “owning” my books. I like to re-read my books a lot. It seems to be a library that isn’t a library because you have to pay to belong. Eventually, most books end up in the actual library anyway, right?
I have favorite authors that I buy on a regular basis and they are not in this service. I’m in the wait and see mode.
Belinda G
Quinn Fforde
I agree about not owning the books. That is the deal breaker for me.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
I’m replying to both Belinda and Quinn.
I feel the same way, even if I delete a book from my tablet, they’re still in my “cloud” – so I still own them. I like that feeling.
txgrll
I’m 2 weeks into the trial and so far it’s been ok for me but not life changing. I don’t know if u would continue it simply for the reason that not all of my favorite authors are participating. Granted I can read some of the more popular books like Hunger Games but the series I currently follow are not included. In reality I was more interested in the audio portion of it since I listen during work time.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
The audio seems like the biggest perk for me. And until they get bigger publishers, I have to reserve judgement. So I’m with you.
ki pha
I’m currently trying out the free 30-day trial of KU right now. I quiet like it because sometimes I just want to free read a book without buying the book if it’s an ebook, and trying them this way with a free 30 day trial is great. Plus paying $9.99 a month for this subscription isn’t bad either. I do prefer to buy print versions of the books but I see it as a great way for ebook readers to get new books, especially Indie books, without filling up their ereaders. Yet again, the Indie authors won’t get their money’s worth with these free reads wouldn’t they? So there’s cons and pros.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
Yeah, again – I think as long as the indie authors are getting a piece of the pie, I think it’s a good thing. Their books are getting seen and that might be the biggest plus. I’ll have to look into that.
Carla
I’m not sure I like the thought of paying for something that I don’t get to keep. I like to reread a lot of my books. I have a NOOK and have the kindle app on it. I buy mostly from my NOOK but do have a few books that I can only assume can be found on the kindle. So I don’t think it was a good idea for me to join the unlimited program. Also I did read one of my fave authors say she’s not participating with it because if she does she cannot put her books on any of the other sites. I have already seen a couple of the authors that I like pull their books from NOOK. Not thrilled with that at all. I think it’s unfair to the authors to limit their talent to one site.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
See, There’s another thing that isn’t widely known. Amazon isn’t allowing indie authors to participate if they’re not exclusive. That’s not fair to the small authors. I’m not down with that at all.
Avery
I haven’t tried KU, but I’m not really interested in it either. It feels like Amazon is trying to do a “RedBox” type of deal for e-books, which is fine if they can bring in the major players. So far, Amazon hasn’t been able to do that. I honestly don’t think it’s going to work but time will tell.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
I have the same suspicion. If they can’t get a balance in their offerings, they’re not going to get the participation from customers either. That’s just my thought however – they may surprise us.
Leanna
I tend to reread books a lot so this would not work for that. I have a Kindle but I still prefer print books. It is also my understanding that all books are not included so why pay for unlimited monthly rental of selected books. I’m not planning to try this.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
Part of my issue is the monthly payment. I don’t like commitment if I don’t know up front that I’ll be using it consistently. Since the main players aren’t participating, I’m unsure how often I’d use it – hypothetically.
Tracey
I have tried it and do not like it. Unlimited should mean as many books as you want…not just 10 at a time and you have to return them before you get anymore. It just isn’t worth it to me. I buy ALOT of books and depends on my mood what i read.
KarenL (@Aleveria)
Yup. Unlimited is kinda ironic in this case, right? 😉
bn100
Interesting there’s a limit on unlimited
dholcomb1
not paying for it; don’t need them tracking how much of a book I’ve read–they probably do that anyway; I like using my kindle the way I have it now
Heather Coulter
While I have a loving relationship with my ereaders – I like to own my books. Knowing me I would probably end up purchasing the book to reread, so I would often be paying double (the monthly fee + the purchase price).
I have not tried this service, and even with a free trial – I am just not interested.